AAAS 380I
Asian American Literature & Critical Concepts
- Institution
- Binghamton University
- Taught
- Spring 2026
Description
This survey course introduces students to influential scholars and critical frameworks that shape the study of Asian American literature and its intersections with multiethnic literary studies more broadly. While an introduction to Asian American literature is not required, students should be aware that much of the semester will focus on reading theoretical texts and engaging in critical debates alongside selected literary works. Together we will explore how postcolonial theory, racial formation, gender and queer studies, intersectionality, diaspora studies, and more recent approaches such as biopolitics and affect theory inform the interpretation of Asian American texts and the field at large. By the end of the course, students will have a grounding in the subfield of Asian American literary studies and will develop tools for applying theoretical frameworks to literature more broadly. Major assignments include group discussion leading, writing a book review essay, and completing a final paper that applies a critical concept to one of the literary works studied in class.